344 POWERS AND CONTESTS OF FLESH AND SPIRIT. greateroutward temptations in the world; and in this case, the state of trial for both of them maybe equally difficult; the one is balanced withthe other. 6. How great soever the difficulties appear which any soul is exposed to by the unhappy circumstances of flesh and blood, to which it is united, there is sufficient relief provided in the covenant of grace; there is sufficient atonement and par- don in the blood 9f Christ to remove the deepest guilt, and sufficient aids of the blessed Spirit promised in the gospel, to mortify the most violent appetites, and perverse affections of the flesh ; and there are many souls now in heaven, who wrestled hard with as vile constitutions of bodyhere'on earth as you are vexed with, but havebeen made conquerors by the power of this gospel. 7. Consider also, that the harder the fight is, the brighter shall be the crown, and the most laborious combat shall be at- tended with the fairest prize. Maintain your conflict with flesh and blood, though the strife may be never so sharp and painful ; hold out till you are called up to the world of spirits, and you shall find that your labour was not in. vain. Have a care then, .O man, of contending with God thy Maker ; nor let the earthenvessel sayto the potter, whyhast thou formed me thus? If thou givest a loose to thy corruptions be- cause they are strong, thou practisest the same folly as if the keeper should give a loose to a lion, because it is a very wild and large one, and let him run at random because he is full of rage. What dost thou think the event will be, O sinner? When thy native appetites are still grown stronger by indulgence, and become utterly ungovernable, and thou art plunged intounspeak- able guilt, and endless misery, what acutting reflection it will be to thy conscience, that, instead of watching, praying, and striving against thine inbred sins, thou wert ever quarrelling at the great God thyMaker, that he did not form thy nature just according to thy directions : Especiallywhen thou shaltsee others advanced to high seats in glory, and reaping the joys of the christian conquest, whohad as many adversaries to wrestle with in the days of their flesh, and each of them as violent and as mighty as thine. Quest. VII. If the springs of sin lie so much in the flesh, are not some methods of reforming the flesh proper to be prac- tised, in order to facilitate the work of mortification, to cure our sinful distempers, to prevent actual transgression, and break the habits of sin ? Answ. Sincethe seeds and occasions of sin lie so much in the fleshand blood, doubtless it is our duty to take some care that these seeds of iniquitybe suppressed and killed, as far as possible, by all proper methods ; such as do not necessarily interferewith other commands of God, or plain duties of cluis-
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